The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has not been officially served with a copy of the Supreme Court decision rendered in the 'Batasan 5' case ordering the dismissal of the Criminal Cases filed against Crispin Beltran, Liza Masa, Joel Virador, Saturnino Ocampo, Teodoro Casino and Rafael Mariano.

Based on the news reports and the copy in the internet, the OSG is of the opinion that a Motion for Reconsideration must be filed on the issue of the determination of probable cause and the conclusion in the decision that the Secretary of Justice had 'political considerations' in the filing of these cases.

The determination of probable cause is the function of the Prosecution and if a party is not satisfied, the relief available is to file a petition for review with the Secretary of Justice.

Trial courts likewise have the authority to determine probable cause for the issuance of warrant of arrest. Clearly, this involves evaluation of facts and evidence. SC is NOT a trier of facts.

On the second point, the Prosecutor and the trial court considered the evidence submitted in the determination of probable cause regardless of any alleged comments of the Secretary of Justice.;

OSG is motivated to seek a reconsideration because of its far-reaching effects on the criminal justice system.

With due respect to the SC but considering that there are hundreds of thousands of criminal cases at the initial stage of criminal prosecution, is it now an option for the accused to go up to the SC to question the finding of probable cause?

Is there now an amendment in the time-honored legal theory that the SC is not a trier of facts?

ROME (via PLDT)---- As a devout Catholic and good daughter of the church, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will pay respects to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, at 11 a.m. Rome time (5 p.m. Manila time) Monday at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican City.

The meeting between the President of the third largest Catholic country in the world and the largest in Asia and the leader of the Catholic Church takes place a year after President Arroyo’s visit to the Vatican City in June 2006.

During the President’s audience with His Holiness last year, Pope Benedict XVI gave his blessings to the President and the Filipino people, which was followed by a banner year for the country’s economy.

The Philippines posted a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 6.9 percent for the first quarter of this year, the highest posted in 17 years, which was hailed by the business community.

In fact, during the President’s recent trip to Japan, the Japanese business community hailed the Chief Executive for performing a "miracle in turning the economy around" from its sorry state when she assumed her post in 2001.

The President, during her visit to the Vatican last year, said "the power of prayer combined with honest and hard work produces miraculous results."

It is expected that during her audience with the Pope Monday, the President would again seek the Holy Father’s blessing for the Filipino people.

After her audience with Pope Benedict, the President is scheduled to meet with the Vatican Secretary of State Tarciso Cardinal Bertone.

According to Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican Leonida Vera, a meeting between a head of state and the Secretary of State of the Vatican could be likened to being a part of a state visit.

ROME (via PLDT) --- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lauded Sunday the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Italy for their contribution to the Philippines’ stellar economic performance and for the good reputation they carved for the Filipinos here and elsewhere in the world.

In her message during her meeting with the Filipino community at the Fontifico Colegio Filipino here, the President said the dollar remittances of the OFWs have contributed much to the growth of the Philippine economy.

"Thank you for the $600-million remittances you sent and for investing your money in real estate, education and health," the President said in the Filipino dialect.

"You must not be called overseas Filipino workers only but also overseas Filipino investors," the President added.

She cited the boom in the country’s real estate sector where 40 percent of the market was accounted for by OFWs, making the real estate sector the biggest multiplier in investments and jobs creation in the country.

The President also noted the OFWs’ investment in the country’s financial capital and small and medium enterprises.

"The number of Filipinos working abroad has not increased at eight million since 2001, but their remittances have doubled from $7 billion to $13 billion," she said.

At the same time, the President praised the Filipino workers in Italy for their high quality work which has earned the admiration of Italian employers.

"The Italians love you for your good traits. Almost all the Italians I talked to are all praises for you," she said. "You seem to be at home here."

The President cited similarity in the Filipino and Italian vision and faith as one reason Italians like Filipinos working here.

"This (Rome) is the center of our faith. We are the third largest Catholic nation in the world but we are number one as devout Catholics," she said.

"We do not allow divorce, we are pro-life, we do not have a death penalty -- one reason the Italians look to you," the President stressed.

According to the President, Italy accepts 3,000 Filipino workers every year, one of the highest quotas for Filipino workers and a privilege given only to few countries.

"We should be proud we are Filipinos. You should be proud you are a Filipino," she said.

The President also congratulated the Filipinos elected to Italy’s town councils. "Now you have a voice in Italy. Your rights could now be defended and your concerns could now be heard and answered," she said.

In the same occasion, the President presented the Presidential Medal of Merit to Tomas Fernandez Concepcion, an artist commissioned by the Vatican City to work on the sculpture of Pope John Paul II.

The President also noted the active participation of the Filipinos here in the absentee voting in the 2004 presidential elections and encouraged them to continue participating in the democratic process to elect competent leaders who would work for the benefit of the country and the eight million OFWs.

"Thank you for voting for me in 2004. I won here," she enthused.

ROME (via PLDT)---President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered Sunday the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to lower all fees being charged by the Philippine Embassy in Rome to overseas Filipino workers in Italy.

The President issued the directive during a meeting with members of the Filipino community here at the Fontifico Collegio Filipino, attended by OFWs from all over Italy, including Milan and Florence.

"I have ordered the DFA to lower passport renewal rates from the present 65 Euros to only 50 Euros, and the reduction of fees for affidavits and notarization from 32 Euros to only 25 Euros," the President said to the loud cheers of some 300 Filipinos working here.

The President also announced the decision of the Italian government to automatically grant an Italian driver’s license to all Philippine driver’s license holders.

The President said this was the result of her negotiations with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and President Giorgio Napolitano during her visit here on June 26 last year.

"This will open up more opportunities for Filipino workers in Italy especially in the transport services," she said.

The President said the Philippine government would continue to seek better pay and other benefits for Filipinos working abroad.

"This is in recognition of your huge contribution to the Philippine economy," she said.

Filipino workers in Italy have remitted some $600 million out of the $13 billion total overseas remittances last year.

ROME (via PLDT) --- Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Italy received two unexpected gifts during the visit here of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on a pilgrimage of "spiritual rearmament" and to attend the canonization of Blessed Marie Eugenie de Jesus Milleret, the 19^th century foundress of the Religious of Assumption.

The first gift was in the form of reduced passport renewal fees charged by the Philippine embassy for Filipino workers in Italy.

The other was the decision of the Italian government to automatically grant Italian driver’s license to all Filipino holders of Philippine driver’s license.

The President announced the twin bonanza during her meeting with members of the 20,000-strong Filipino community in Italy at the Pontifico Colegio Filipino at 4 p.m. Sunday (Rome time).

Drivers among the OFWs here have long sought the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in negotiating with the Italian government for the automatic grant of Italian driver’s license to holders of Philippine driver’s license as a recognition of their skill and proficiency as drivers.

They also said that OFWs holding Italian driver’s license are paid higher wages than ordinary workers.

In her message, the President thanked the OFWs for their contribution to the economies of both their host country and the Philippines and for the praiseworthy reputation they had established not only in Italy but elsewhere in the world.

"Thank you for the $600 million remittances and for investing your money in real estate, education and health" back home, the President said in Filipino.

"You must not be called overseas Filipino workers but overseas Filipino investors," she added.

Citing the boom in the country’s real estate sector, the President pointed out that OFW remittances now comprise 40 percent of the investments in the land property market, thus making the real estate sector the biggest multiplier in investments and jobs creation.

Aside from real estate, OFWs are also becoming major players in the country’s financial capital and small and medium enterprises.

"The number of Filipinos working abroad has not increased at eight million since 2001, but the remittances have doubled from $7 billion to $13 billion," she said.

She also praised the Filipino workers in Italy for the high quality of their work, which has earned for them the admiration of Italian employers.

"The Italians love you for your good traits. Almost all the Italians I talked to are all praises for you," she said.

"This (Rome) is the center of our faith. We are the third largest Catholic nation in the world, but we are number one as devout Catholics," she said.

"We do not allow divorce, we are pro-life, we do not have a death penalty---one reason the Italians look to you" as brothers and sisters of the faith, the President stressed.

Italy accepts one of the highest quotas for Filipino workers at 3,000 a year, a privilege granted by Italy only to a few select countries.

"We should be proud we are Filipinos. You should be proud you are a Filipino," the President said.

She also congratulated Filipinos elected to town councils in Italy, saying now "you have a voice in Italy. Your rights could now be defended and your concerns could now be heard and answered."

During her meeting with the Filipino community, the President presented the Presidential Medal of Merit to Tomas Fernandez Concepcion, an artist commissioned by the Vatican City to work on the sculpture of Pope John Paul II.

She likewise lauded the OFWs for their active participation in the absentee voting in the 2004 presidential elections, as she urged them to always get involved in their country’s democratic processes and to elect competent leaders who will work for the benefit of the country and the eight million OFWs.